Support The Moscow Times!

Yevgeny Lebedev Named ‘Baron of Hampton and Siberia’ in Britain

Queen Elizabeth II conferred a lifetime peerage on Yevgeny Lebedev this summer. PA Wire / PA Images / TASS

Queen Elizabeth II has granted Russian-British media mogul Yevgeny Lebedev the title of “Baron of Hampton and Siberia,” according to the British government’s official journal of record The Gazette.

The British monarch conferred a lifetime peerage to Lebedev, 40, after his longtime friend Prime Minister Boris Johnson nominated him in July. Reports suggested that Lebedev’s introduction into the House of Lords met a delay over his request to include “Moscow” in his title and the need for London to make a formal request to the Russian government.

According to the Gazette, the extravagant businessman's full title will be “Baron Lebedev, of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation” when he enters the House of Lords.

The order was issued last Thursday.

Lebedev, the owner of Britain’s Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, is the son of ex-KGB agent turned business tycoon Alexander Lebedev, who also owns the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper in Russia.

Yevgeny Lebedev is due to be sworn in as the first Russian member of the House of Lords next month and will sit as a crossbench peer, a designation that holds no party affiliation, according to the Independent and Evening Standard.

Mr. Lebedev was ennobled for his services to the media industry and his philanthropic work,” they wrote, pointing to his campaigns that raised more than $100 million for charities dedicated to preserving wildlife and helping feed vulnerable people. 

The senior Lebedev was reportedly one of the figures investigated as part of the British Parliament’s intelligence committee report on alleged Kremlin interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum. The report concluded that British government and intelligence agencies failed to investigate reports of Russian interference.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more